Tag Archives: Inspiration

2-11-15

Check out what iStock (a leading stock photography site) has discovered about the trends + fresh Valentine’s Day visuals. To see more photography trends, check out their site.

Hearts. Flowers. Chocolates. Happy, young couples holding hands and splashing through puddles of rain together. You know the drill. The lead-up to February 14th trots out the same visual clichés to celebrate Valentine’s Day. Although the media is saturated with traditional iconography surrounding the holiday, people’s attitudes towards Valentine’s Day are changing and there is a growing shift in the status quo of imagery used to represent love.

From a creative perspective, art often imitates life. And in life, love takes many forms. Love isn’t relegated solely to the pink and red hues associated with Valentine’s Day. There are many more shades in the color palette of love. From the unconditional love a parent has for their child, the platonic feelings a person has for their best friend, to decades of romance shared between an older couple, there are a number of ways love can be visualized.

While classic Valentine’s imagery is no less iconic, consider departing from tradition this Valentine’s Day and tap into visuals that express a more modern, more inclusive sentiment. Here are a few Valentine’s Day image ideas to serve as inspiration.

A Refreshing Take on Love In Bloom[Image]A young couple surrounded by wildflowers and truly enjoying each other’s company trumps store bought blooms and sitting across from one another at a table. Opt for a fresh take on romance that focuses on joyful, relaxed expressions of affection instead of imagery that feels staged.

Love Ages Well[Image]
Young lovers eventually grow old. Although the body ages, a true and eternal bond lasts. Images that show an older couple still deeply in love are equally as sweet and poignant as those depicting younger couples – and offer a refreshing, unexpected look at love.

Embracing Same Sex Couples[Image]In the U.S. alone, the Census Bureau estimates 168,000 same sex married couples and 646,464 same-sex households. That number does not even account the number of LGBT individuals on the dating scene in the United States, let alone the world. Despite these numbers, there is a sore lack of Valentine’s images depicting same sex couples. Photographs of loving partners of the same sex show that love knows no gender lines.

Romance, Schmoemance: A Focus on Friendship — including Four-Legged Friends

Who says that Valentine’s Day is just for lovers? Many people are now including friends in the celebration of love. While Singles Awareness Day on February 15th (aka – Half-Priced Candy Day) hints at an air of cynicism towards Valentine’s Day by those without a partner, many singles choose to celebrate the day by pampering themselves or by letting their friends know how much they mean to them.

While friends of the two-legged variety are becoming an important part of the new Valentine’s Day landscape, let’s not forget about our four-legged friends, either. In 2013, of the $18.6 billion Americans spent on Valentine’s Day, $815 million was spent on pets. From adorable kitty sweaters in sweet shades of pink and crimson, to heart-shaped boxes of doggie treats, pets are now part of the new Valentine’s Day equation.

Photos depicting an unbreakable bond between gal pals or a rock steady bromance showcase that Valentine’s Day has meaning for best friends, too.

Love takes many forms, but is best expressed honestly, openly, and (when it comes to creative imagery) as realistically as possible.

Join the conversation about how to #RePictureLove on social media!

This post was written as part of a partnership with iStock and From Rain to Shine. Use code VDAY10 + get 10% off any credit pack available now until Feb 20, 2015. Check out their site for tons of stock image options!

The theme of our Mini Party was Pop Alt. Inspired by Andy Warhol, bright colors + the pop art movement, we transformed the room into a color blocked wonderland. The walls were adorned with over 900 feet of hand sewed black and white drapes (created by Ms. French Knot Studios herself) + giant Andy Warhol quotes (designed by yours truly), the tables covered with stunning sequin table cloths (thanks Troy + La Tavola!) + a gorgeous geo curtain backdrop for selfies. As take aways/swag, I designed four postcards printed by Tiny Prints, each with a different Warhol quote. Izzy was there to photograph + capture the evening, and created an awesome 80’s pop music playlist. For the center pieces, we created a floral meets comic art masterpiece. Check out the DIY below so you can make your own awesome center pieces. Bonus! The icons I designed are also available as a free download!

12-23-14

The holiday season is upon us, and chances are you will be going to parties and giving and receiving gifts. I was always taught to have an attitude of gratitude and send a hand written thank you note following the receipt of a gift, or a lovely dinner party. According to Emily Post, written thank you notes are always a good idea, and should be written as soon as possible [within one week of receiving or attending a dinner.]
When writing thank you notes, keep them short, sweet and in a conversational tone. Express your gratitude for the present received, and let the recipient know how much you appreciate it.
Some may think that sending a hand written note is old school in today’s world full of technology and emails. However, manners never go out of style, and everyone loves receiving a nice note in the mail. Letting the sender know how much the gift meant in a note shows your gratitude.Although it may seem obvious, you should always start your note with “Dear ______”, rather than just jumping right in.Thank you notes tend to be sent more around the holidays, but are an act that can be done all year long. It is always a good idea to send a hand written thank you note for gifts received on your birthday, anniversary, graduation, wedding, promotion, etc. Professionally, sending a hand written note after a job interview is a classy way to let the interviewer know you enjoyed your time.
Following a big event, such as the holiday season or your wedding, it is best to get started right away with your thank you notes. Create a list of individuals whom you need to send your thanks to, and complete some every night. It is an easy way to show your gratitude, and let the individual know how much it meant to you. Plus, there are SO many cute stationery options out there, you are sure to find one that reflects your personality. Tiny Prints has such a wide selection, I found these three styles and instantly fell in love.Photos by Sam Zachrich
[This post was sponsored by Tiny Prints, however all opinions are my own. Check out Tiny Prints for numerous stationery and thank you note options.]

12-4-14

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving and are getting into the holiday spirit! Here is a round up of some great links I found this week.Design:• Pantone has announced the 2015 Color of the Year!
• What every young designer should know.
• Loving this creative + colorful packaging.
• Yahoo Mail has partnered up with Paperless Post to bring beautiful designs right to your email to use for your correspondence.

11-21-14

FRIDAY. I hope you all had a great week and are able to relax and do something fun this weekend. Today’s free font download is Adobe’s newest creation, and has me and all my design friends totally geeking out. It pulls characteristics from Helvetica (a tried + true typeface, arguably one of the most popular of all time) and combines them with DIN (my current favorite font, legible, visually interesting and seemingly growing in popularity daily.) Designed by Adobe for their new Apple watches, this typeface is versatile and contains numerous weights, making it ideal for any design project large or small. Link to download is in this article, at the bottom. Have a great weekend!

[I do not claim ownership to this font, or any fonts showcased on Font Friday. Please read licenses before using.]

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All posts on this blog are designed and/or photographed by me, Jess, for From Rain to Shine, unless otherwise specified (in such cases, I cite the original location, author or post.) If you find an image that has been incorrectly linked, send over an email and all will be fixed :). Similarly, if you use any content from my blog, please link or cite my work.

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